Friday, October 10, 2008

Tired Feet and Happy Heart

Tired feet and a happy heart have indeed returned back home last evening. Once I organize my life and pictures I will share much more in the next few weeks. Today I will just share the itinerary for a trip of a life time.
September 19th
Left Portland and flew to Amsterdam, Netherlands
September 20th
Arrived in Amsterdam
Walked and took a canal boat tour
September 21st
We took a peaceful Sunday morning walk to Anne Franks home and toured the hideaway.
Walked through the flower market and bought tulip bulbs
Visited the Van Gogh and Rilksmuseum
September 22nd
Flew to Rome
Still adjusting to time change
Did our own personal get acquainted with Rome walking tour
Nuovo Piazza where chariots once raced
Trevi Fountain
Pantheon
Spanish Steps
Bought tea at Babington's Tea Room
September 23rd
Boarded a Carnival Cruise ship called the Splendor
This was the perfect place for my husband to recuperate from his August surgery
September 24th
Naples and walked the streets of Pompeii
September 25th
A day at sea
Tea at 3PM while we listened to the Mozart trio play classical music
and watched the sea outside the window.
September 26th
Dubrovnik, Croatia
Walked the streets of old Dubrovnik and toured a small island nearby,
walking through their Botanical Gardens
September 27th
Cruised slowly into Venice with the sounds of Pavorotti playing in the background
What an awe inspiring sight
Traveled by small boat to the island of Murano to visit a glass factory, then
onto the island of Burano where they are know for lace making
Burano was a beautiful island full of colorful homes
September 28th
A morning gondola ride through the canals of Venice
Shopped and walked through the crowds of St. Mark's Square
Tea at Cafe Florian on St. Mark's Square
September 29th
A day at sea
Pedicures while watching the sea flow by
September 30th
Messina on the island of Sicily
Walked the cobble stone streets of Taormina and visited the Greek Theater
The sights of the Mediterranean were beautiful from here
October 1st
A day at sea
Enjoyed lounging in the sun and having afternoon tea
October 2nd
Woke to the sights of Barcelona, Spain
Walked and walked some more through the street and alleyways
Walked down the main street for shopping, Las Rambles and found
tucked away markets, tea shops, and a historic chocolate shop called Escriba's
Found the Picaso museum, which had his early works
Saw several churches including the Gothic Cathedral
Tapas for lunch
October 3rd
An unexpected day at sea, as the water was to choppy to stop
at Cannes, France
France will just have to wait for our next trip
October 4th
Livorno, Italy where we took a tour bus to Florence
Visit Michelanglo's David
Walked the street and shops
Beautiful churches and art
Delicious lazagna lunch
Oh and gelato was first created in Florence, so of course gelato
October 5th
Cruise completed and thoroughly enjoyed
Back to Rome
Took a double decker bus tour around the city
Visited the Colosseum and the Forum
Walked
October 6th
Double decker bus again and visited a beautiful church
Vatican Museum
Sistine Chapel
St. Peters Square
Basillica
October 7th
Walked some more
Rome's Botanical Gardens
Got lost in a park and saw more of Rome than we knew existed
October 8th
Borghese Museum
Finally ended the trip with tea at Babington's
October 9th
Flew home
Needless to say we thoroughly enjoyed the trip, ate way too much but very good food, gelato at every chance, and met many people of the world. The ship alone had representatives from 58 countries working on board. Colours of the world, there were many. I took over 800 pictures and will post a few next week. For today just imagine and dream of the colours of the world.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Welcome home Marilyn, what a marvellous trip you had!

Annie Jeffries said...

Welcome back, Marilyn. What a trip of a lifetime. These warm memories will keep you happy for years to come.

Denise said...

Lovely itinerary! I'm off to Italy later this month but will be in northern Italy spending 10 days with my youngest sister while her husband is away on business. We will have SUCH fun of our own. A Sisterchicks Holiday paid for by my brother-in-law's airmiles!

Looking forward to your photos!

Denise

Anonymous said...

What wonderful memories you have made to enjoy forever, Marilyn! Tea at Cafe Florian on St. Mark's Square must have been fabulous. I look forward to any and all photos and tales that you share in the days to come.

Anonymous said...

Marilyn, Thank you for sharing your card with me on the Splendor. Your Marmaladys site is absolutely delightful. Glad you made it home safely, as did we. I'm still a little jet-lagged, but have many pleasant memories of the vacation, which includes meeting people like you over breakfast "tea." Monica

Rosemary said...

Welcome Home Marilyn! What an exciting itinerary... and tea at every opportunity. So looking forward to your stories and pictures! And souvenirs? Did you find new treasures? What an adventure! You know how to enjoy retirement.
Nancy

SweetAnnee said...

I can't wait to see your pictures..what a great trip!!

Hollyhocks seeds will be going out Tuesday..
smiles, Deena

Anonymous said...

Welcome home, Marilyn! Your itinerary sounds indeed like a trip of a lifetime. Hope your husband is feeling better. Can't wait to see your pictures!

Steph said...

Oh, fabulous!!! Congrats! I'm so thrilled for you and glad you're back and blogging again! :-)

Linda Jennings said...

Fabulous itinerary! It certainly does sound like a trip of a lifetime! I look forward to seeing your photos and hearing the details!